ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin  aims to achieve the objective of Housing for all by 2020
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana  to upgrade 1,25,000 kms of road length in the next five years with a budget of over Rs. 80,000 crore
By 2022, every single willing rural family will have electricity and clean cooking facility
The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said that Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin  aims to achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2020. Presenting the Union Budget 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha today, she said that a total of 1.54 crore rural homes have been completed in the last five years and in the second phase of PMAY-G, from 2019-22, 1.95 crore houses are proposed to be provided to the eligible beneficiaries. The houses will be provided with amenities like toilets, electricity and LPG connections.
On the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana , the Finance Minister said “PMGSY-III envisages to upgrade 1,25,000 kms of road length over the next five years, with an estimated cost of Rs. 80,250 crore”. She said that to accelerate the speed of achieving universal connectivity of eligible habitations, the completion target was advanced from 2022 to 2019 and it is heartening to note that all weather connectivity has now been provided to over 97% of such habitations. This was made possible by maintaining a high pace of road construction of 130 to 135 km per day in the last 1000 days. She added that committed to the agenda of sustainable development, 20,000 kms of PMGSY roads have been built using Green Technology, Waste Plastic and Cold Mix Technology, thereby reducing carbon footprint.
Speaking about the Ujjwala and Saubhagya Yojana, the Finance Minister said that they have transformed the lives of every rural family and by 2020, the 75th year of India’s independence every single rural family will have electricity and a clean cooking facility. Household access to clean cooking gas has seen an unprecedented expansion, through provision of more than 7 crore LPG connections. All villages, and almost 100% households across the country have been provided with electricity. Smt. Sitharaman assured the nation that every single rural family, except those who are unwilling to take the connection will have an electricity and a clean cooking facility.
Ministry of External Affairs
Cabinet approves agreement on simplification of visa requirements for travel of certain categories of citizens between India and South Africa
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of Agreement between India and South Africa on simplification of visa requirements for travels of certain categories of citizens.
The Agreement aims to facilitate issuance of multiple entry visa to nationals of the two countries who wish to travel to the territory of the other country for tourism, medical, business and official purpose. Such visas are normally required to be issue for a period of up to five years within a specified time limit of five days. In cases where further scrutiny is required both sides may inform the application accordingly.
Ministry of Finance
Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2020-21  – Issue Price
In terms of the Government of India Notification No. F.No.4-B//2020 dated April 13, 2019, Sovereign Gold Bonds 2020-21  will be opened for the period May 11-15, 2020 with Settlement date May 19, 2020. The issue price of the Bond during the subscription period shall be Rs 4,590  – per gram, as also published by RBI in their Press Release dated 8th May, 2020.
The Government of India in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India has decided to allow discount of Rs 50  per gram from the issue price to those investors who apply online and the payment is made through digital mode. For such investors the issue price of Gold Bond will be Rs 4,540  per gram of gold.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people of Sikkim on their Statehood Day
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people of Sikkim on their Statehood Day.
“Greetings on Sikkim’s Statehood Day. Home to talented and compassionate people, Sikkim has enriched national progress in many sectors. Sikkim’s progress in areas like organic farming have been admired all over. Praying for Sikkim’s progress in the years to come”, the Prime Minister said.
AYUSH
Ayurvedic Classification of Diseases
The Ministry of AYUSH has developed National Ayurveda Morbidity Codes , a comprehensive classification of diseases described in Ayurveda as well as Standardized Ayurveda Terminologies. These have been made available on National AYUSH Morbidity and Standardized Terminologies Electronic Portal  developed by the Ministry which is available to the public on the URL http://namstp.ayush.gov.in.
For standardization of Ayurvedic diagnostic and treatment protocol, the Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences  under Ministry of AYUSH has undertaken a project on Reliability testing and Validation of Ayurveda diagnostic methods in June 2018. Under this project, some common disease condition have been identified and accordingly the Proforma and manual of selected disease conditions is being drafted and validated through scientific methods in phased manner.
In the first phase, the disease conditions which have been identified one Kushtha , Kasa, Shwasa and Jwara. The first draft of Kushtha  manual as clinical series-I has been published and for other three disease conditions inter-rator reliability has already been completed and second phase validity is under pipeline in collaboration with the academic institutes of national repute. Further, the development of proforma of various other disease conditions has been initiated.
Various clinical studies are also being conducted following the integrated protocol in a scientific manner. The brief of clinical studies has been published as glimpses of clinical Research which is available on the Council’s website .
This information was given by the Minister of State  for AYUSH Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
RJ/SK
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Ministry of Communications
Revised RFP for selection of Agency for conducting e-Auction of Spectrum
The Request for Proposal  No.1000/03/2018-WF/Auction for selection of Agency for the conduct of e-Auction, published on 26.08.2019 is cancelled due to administrative reasons.
Notice for revised Request for Proposal  for selection of Agency for conducting e-Auction of Spectrum in various Bands has been issued by the Department of Telecommunication today.
Further details and documents can be seen on the DoT website www.dot.gov.in. and on www.eprocure.gov.in.
PIB Headquarters
PIB’S BULLETIN ON COVID-19
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- 207.03 cr Total Vaccine doses  have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
- 15,21,429 doses administered in last 24 hours
- India's Active caseload currently stands at 1,28,261
- Active cases stand at 0.29%
- Recovery Rate currently at 98.52%
- 19,539 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
- 4,35,35,610
- 16,047 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
- Daily positivity rate 
- Weekly Positivity Rate 
- 87.88 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 3,25,081 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
#Unite2FightCorona #IndiaFightsCorona
Press Information Bureau
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Government of India
Ministry of Science & Technology
New material found can efficiently convert waste heat to electricity to power small home equipment & vehicles
Scientists have found a new Lead  free material which can efficiently convert waste heat to power our small home equipment and automobiles.
Thermoelectric energy conversion allows generation of electrical voltage when one end of a material is heated while keeping the other side cold. Finding an efficient material to realize this scientific principle has been a daunting task for scientists. It entails fitting in three seemingly different properties into a single material-- high electrical conductivity of metals, high thermoelectric sensitivity of semiconductors, and low thermal conductivity of glasses.
Most efficient thermoelectric materials developed by scientists so far use Lead  as a major constituent element, restricting their use for mass-market applications.
Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Bengaluru, an autonomous institution of the Department of Science & Technology , Government of India led by Prof. Kanishka Biswas have now identified a lead-free material called Cadmium  doped Silver Antimony Telluride  which can efficiently allow recovery of electricity from ‘waste heat’ marking a paradigm shift in the thermoelectric puzzle. They have reported this major breakthrough in the journal Science.
Prof. Kanishka Biswas and his group doped  Silver Antimony Telluride with Cadmium  and used an advanced electron microscopy technique to visualize the resultant ordering of atoms in nanometer scale. The nanometer-scale atomic ordering scatters phonons that carries heat in a solid and enhances electrical transport by delocalizing the electronic state in the material.
Previously reported state of the art material is exhibiting the thermoelectric figure of merit  in the range 1.5-2 in the mid-temperature range . The team reported a record increase in thermoelectric figure of merit  to 2.6 at 573 K, which can provide the heat to electrical energy conversion efficiency to 14 %. Prof. Biswas is now trying to commercialize the high-performance thermoelectric materials and devices; in collaboration with TATA steel where lots of waste heat is generated in steel power plant.
This work is supported by Swarna-Jayanti fellowship and project fund from Science and Engineering Research Board  and Department of Science & Technology , India, along with support from New Chemistry Unit  & International Centre for Materials Science , JNCASR, Bangalore.
Figure.  Schematic of the atomic ordering optimization strategy and its impact on thermoelectric parameters: electrical conductivity  and Seebeck coefficient .  Electron microscopic image exhibits the formation of cation ordering in 6 mol% Cd doped AgSbTe2.  Temperature dependent thermoelectric figure of merit, zT of pristine AgSbTe2 and 6 mol% Cd doped AgSbTe2.
[Publication link-https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6530/722
For more details, Prof. Kanishka Biswas  can be contacted.]
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
E-Gram Swaraj Portal
With a vision to strengthen digitalization in Panchayats for the purpose of empowering rural India, a unified tool e-Gram SWARAJ portal  has been developed by the Ministry for effective monitoring and evaluation of works taken up in the Gram Panchayats.
e-Gram SWARAJ unifies the planning, accounting and monitoring functions of Gram Panchayats. It’s combination with the Area Profiler application, Local Government Directory  and the Public Financial Management System  renders easier reporting and tracking of Gram Panchayat’s activities. It provides a single window for capturing Panchayat information with the complete Profile of the Panchayat, details of Panchayat finances, asset details, activities taken up through Gram Panchayat Development Plan , Panchayat information from other Ministries/ Departments such as Census 2011, SECC data, Mission Antyodaya survey report etc.
For the year 2020-21, around 2.43 lakh Gram Panchayats have finalized their GPDP on e-Gram SWARAJ. Further, around 1.24 lakh Gram Panchayats have transacted online using the e-Gram SWARAJ Online Payment Module.
Ministry of Electronics & IT
UIDAI’s Aadhaar Hackathon 2021 draws enthusiastic response from young innovators
Over 3000 team registrations received so far
Over 5000 innovators to challenge themselves for a period of approx. 95 Hrs of the Hackathon 2021
Unique Identification Authority of India  is conducting a hackathon to celebrate 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and to promote the culture of innovation among youth, with an objective to find innovative solutions to enhance the experience of the residents and the way they interface with Aadhaar Enrolment and Authentication Software platforms.
On this occasion, more than 5000 innovators would challenge themselves for a period of approx. 95 Hrs of the Aadhaar Hackathon 2021 which commenced on 28 Oct 21 and will end on 31st October 21. During this intense session, young innovators would stretch their imaginations to solve some of the real-life challenges under consideration by the UIDAI and generate novel ideas and solutions for the next decade of Aadhaar. This event is being attended by participants from all corners of our country - making it truly a pan India event.
Aadhaar Hackathon 2021 has drawn unprecedented attention from young innovators as UIDAI has received more than 3000 team registrations, making it one of the most competitive hackathons of recent times. Almost all NIRF-ranked institutes are represented through various teams in this prestigious event. The Hackathon involves problem statements categorized in two themes, carefully selected to solve immediate challenges and also lay the foundation for the future.
Faculty members of ‘Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru’ led by Prof Rajesh Sundaresan have extended their support and academic experience in shaping up the structure of the event and problem statements in this Hackathon. Large scale participation by the young innovators is reflecting a positive inclination towards building new Digital India as envisaged by Hon’ble Prime Minister during ongoing AKAM Celebrations.
Prior to the commencement of the Hackathon, UIDAI arranged for online mentoring sessions, wherein problem statements and Aadhaar technologies were explained to the teams under the guidance of Sh. Anup Kumar, DDG, UIDAI, Dr. Vivek Raghavan, Chief Product Manager, UIDAI, Gp Capt B P Sabut, ADG, UIDAI and other members from technology team through various webinars. More than six online mentoring sessions were conducted to help the young innovators to shape up their ideas and convert them to meaningful solutions. Four web channels have been opened to address the queries on APIs and problem statements, and so far, hundreds of queries have been addressed by the Technology team.
Submissions by the young innovators would be shortlisted and evaluated by a team of experts, drawn from academia, industry, and government in a structured manner. Winners would be adequately rewarded by UIDAI and few lucky ones shall be extended a placement offer to work for UIDAI, subject to fulfillment of certain other criteria.
Details of the ‘Aadhaar Hackathon 2021’ are available at https://hackathon.uidai.gov.in/
PIB Headquarters
‘Special Passport Mela’ on October 19, 2019
In order to meet the public demand and to facilitate submission of applications for the frequent travellers due to extended time in getting appointments, Regional Passport Office, Chennai will be holding ‘Special Passport Mela’ on Saturday the 19th October 2019 at Post Office Passport Seva Kendras , Vellore, Kallakurichi and Krishnagiri.
Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, at Vellore, Kallakurichi and Krishnagiri will function on Saturday the 19th October 2019 like any other normal working day and aceept applications as per time slots allotted to the applicants. Approximately 170 applicants are expected to be benefitted from this Mela.
To participate in this Passport Mela, all applicants have to log on to the official website ‘www.passportindia.gov.in’, register on-line, generate ‘ARN’ , and pay online fees and then take appointment. Applicants participating in the mela should bring the print-out of ARN with appointment details, to the POPSK along with the requisite documents in originals, plus one set of self attested photocopies. Applications under Fresh and Re-issue categories only will be accepted.
The appointments will be released on 16th October  at 1430 hrs for the mela to take place on Saturday, 19th October 2019. On the day of mela, applications will be accepted only as per the time slot allotted to them. Applications of PCCs, Walk-ins including On-Hold and Refused Tokens will not be entertained during the Mela, according to the press release issued by Regional Passport Office, Chennai.
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
1234 labs along with use of Rapid Antigen Tests drive Tests Per Million  to more than 9231
More than 3.26 lakh samples tested in 24 hours
As per the “Test, Trace, Treat” strategy, the Central Government is driving enhanced testing initiatives in State/UTs. As a result, there has been a steady rise in the number of testing labs across the country. The increased testing is in accordance with the ICMR Guidelines and has helped in early detection of cases.
The testing includes the RT-PCR which is the golden standard of the COVID-19 testing. This has been augmented with Rapid Antigen Point of Care  Testing that gives results within half-hour. This has resulted in ramped up testing in the Containment and Buffer Zones. This has significantly helped in controlling the spread of the infection.
All registered medical practitioners can now recommend testing. This coupled with the facilitation of widespread testing by States/UTs through the RT-PCR, TrueNat and CBNAAT lab network has contributed to a surge in the number of samples tested.
3,26,826 samples have been tested in the last 24 hours. The cumulative number of 1,27,39,490 samples tested translated to a figure of 9231.5 testing per million for India.
The testing lab network in the country is further strengthened with 1234 labs in the country; 874 labs in the government sector and 360 private labs. These include:
• Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 635 
• TrueNat based testing labs: 499 
• CBNAAT based testing labs: 100 
For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.
Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19[at]gov[dot]in and other queries on ncov2019[at]gov[dot]in and @CovidIndiaSeva .
In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 . List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .
Ministry of Science & Technology
One-day Industry Conclave organised by CSIR-CMERI
Kolkata, 24th February, 2021
CSIR-CMERI organized a one-day Industry Conclave-2021 on 24th February, 2021.Prof. Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur, inaugurated the Industry Conclave along with the Chief Guest, Prof. M.S. Unnikrishnan, IIT Bombay, and the Guests-of-Honor, Dr. G.N. Dayananda, Head, TMD-Industry Interface, CSIR, ShriPradip Kumar Sikder, Chief Engineer & Project Head, DVC, Andal, ShriSanjiban Roy, Director, Thriveni Earth Movers Ltd., Chennai among others.
This CSIR-CMERI Industrial Conclave 2021 was an august assembly of around 100 like-minded entrepreneurs, Industry Leaders, Business Representatives, who are the fundamental units of the Indian Economic Growth Engine. The Conclave provided the Entrepreneurs, MSMEs, Start-Ups and Small Businesses a chance to interact with each other and express the existing lacunas in Industrial Landscape of the Nation, so that CSIR-CMERI, the apex Mechanical Engineering Technology Institute of the Nation, can comprehend and explore possibilities of Technology Partnership with the Industries for delivering possible sustainable solutions.
Prof. Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, while delivering the Welcome Address, stated that a huge majority of employment in the Nation are provided by the MSMEs and thus they are one of the major factors for the National Economy. CSIR-CMERI over the years is working along with a number of MSMEs and is continuously striving to seek Innovative Products which boosts both the Sustainability Factor and Employment Opportunities.
Prof. M.S. Unnikrishnan, IIT Bombay, the Chief Guest for the occasion shared that there should be perfect harmony among the Industry-Government-Academia. This is more true because the National Economy undergoing a phase of transition from an Efficiency-Based Approach towards an Innovation-Based Economy.
Dr. G.N. Dayananda, Head, TMD-Industry Interface, CSIR,shared the three fundamentals of a successful initiative are Effective Project Management, Alignment of R&D with the Industrial Roadmap and a Culture of Interaction. It is the Culture of Interaction with the MSME stakeholders which is the most crucial aspect.
Subsequently, the Industry Leaders and Representatives visited the different Laboratories of the Institute followed by an interaction with the Innovators. The event concluded with a Plenary Session.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
195 LMT wheat procured so far during ongoing RMS, surpassing procurement done in 2022-23
Major contribution from Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh
Rice procurement ongoing smoothly
The procurement of wheat during RMS 2023-24 has already surpassed the total procurement of RMS 2022-23.
In RMS 2022-23, the procurement was 188 LMT. However, till April 26th, 2023, wheat procurement during RMS 2023-24 is 195 LMT. This has largely benefitted the farmers. MSP outflow of about Rs. 41148 crores has already been made to about 14.96 lakh farmers during the ongoing wheat procurement operations.
Notably, major contribution in the procurement comes from three wheat procuring states of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh with procurement of 89.79 LMT, 54.26 LMT and 49.47 LMT respectively.
One of the major factors, contributing the progressive procurement this year, is the grant of relaxation by GOI in quality specifications of wheat being procured, in view of untimely rains leading to luster loss. This will reduce the hardship of farmers and check any distress sale.
The Central Government has also allowed all the states to open procurement centres at village/ panchayat level and to carry out the procurement through Co-operative Societies/ Gram Panchayats/ Arhatias etc. also in addition to already existing designated procurement centres, for better outreach.
In addition, rice procurement is also progressing smoothly. A quantity of 354 LMT of rice has been procured till 26.04.2023 during kharif crop of KMS 2022-23 with another 140 LMT yet to be procured. Further, a quantity of 106 LMT rice has been estimated to be procured during the Rabi crop of KMS 2022-23.
The combined stock position of wheat and rice in the Central Pool, has surpassed 510 LMT which puts the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements of food grains. With the ongoing procurement of wheat and rice, the food grains stock levels are on rise in Government granaries.